Certificate of Residence

If you reside in New York State but outside of Onondaga County you must submit a Certificate of Residence from your home county to the Student Accounts office. This certificate allows the College to bill your home county for part of your tuition costs and will allow you to be billed the resident tuition rate for your registered courses.

Without a Certificate of Residence, you will have to pay the non-resident (double) tuition rate for your registered courses. Certificates of Residence must be received by the Student Accounts office NO LATER THAN 30 days from the first day of the semester.

Next Steps

  1. You will need to obtain a Certificate of Residence from the county of your permanent residence. You will need to complete an application and show proof of residency to your home county. Contact your county treasurer/finance office for instructions on how to apply for your Certificate of Residence. Please see the drop-down box below for your county's contact information.
  2. Many counties have their own Certificate of Residence Affidavit and Application form and require you to use that. If they do not require a specific form you can use the generic form.

    DO NOT SEND THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THE COLLEGE. It must be submitted to your home county; they will process the application and then will provide you with an approved Certificate of Residence.

  3. Once you have received your approved Certificate of Residence from your home county you can email the document as a PDF to the Student Accounts Office. Pictures of Certificates of Residence will not be accepted. If you are unable to email the Certificate of Residence as a PDF you can mail it to:

    Onondaga Community College
    Student Accounts
    4585 West Seneca Turnpike
    Syracuse, NY 13215
     
  4. We advise you to keep a copy of your Certificate of Residence for your records. 
     
  5. Contact your County Treasurer's Office to see if there are other restrictions or requirements. 
     
  6. Certificates are valid for one year from the date of issue. A new Certificate of Residence must be submitted after the current one expires to continue receiving the resident tuition rate. Students who do not submit a Certificate of Residence within the timeframe outlined below will be charged the non-resident (double) tuition rate. 

Certificate of Residence Timeline for 2024

Semester1st Day of ClassesStart Date to Obtain CRDeadline to Submit
Summer 2024 Sessions Starting:June 3, 2024April 4, 2024July 3, 2024
Summer 2024 Sessions Starting:July 10, 2024May 11, 2024August 9, 2024

Students who are residents of Onondaga County can complete the form below to update their residency status to in-state/in-county.

Before completing the form please read the following information regarding residency:

Students living in Onondaga County solely for the purpose of attending college are not considered permanent residents of Onondaga County. Generally, the legal residence of a college student under the age of 24 is presumed to be the residence of the parent, guardian, or any other permanent residence prior to the student's enrollment at the College; unless the student can provide documentation that they are financially independent or have been deemed an independent student by our Financial Aid office.

Prove Onondaga County Residence

Sally Luton
Director, Student Accounts
(315) 498-2466
lutons@sunyocc.edu

Erin Woods
Assistant Director, Student Accounts
(315) 498-2153
e.m.woods2@sunyocc.edu

If a SUNY community college student is denied a certificate of residence from their home county, such student may appeal to SUNY System Administration for reversal. Such appeal communication should contain the student’s contact information and details about the denial from the county. Please note that denials can only be reversed if either the county or the college made an error or did not follow relevant legal requirements. 

Students can submit appeals by email to CCLegalLiaison@suny.edu or by physical mail to:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier
Senior Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges and the Education Pipeline
SUNY H. Carl McCall Building, 353 Broadway, Albany, NY 12246